News from the Caribbean:
Caribbean tourism conference to explore partnerships and innovation
February 16, 2012
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados -- How to enhance Caribbean human resources through partnerships and innovation will be the key subject of discussion when tourism human resources professionals from across the Caribbean gather in Barbados.
Caribbean and UK to establish mechanism to strengthen fight against drugs and crime
February 15, 2012
KINGSTON, Jamaica (JIS) -- Representatives from the United Kingdom and the Caribbean have agreed to establish a UK/Caribbean Expertise Exchange Mechanism, to collaborate further in the fight against drugs and international crime.
UK pledges GBP75 million in development support to the region
February 14, 2012
KINGSTON, Jamaica (JIS) -- The United Kingdom has pledged £75 million to assist with development projects within the Caribbean region over a four-year period. The UK’s commitment came out of talks at the 7th UK/Caribbean Forum.
IDB strengthens partnership with Caribbean
February 13, 2012
WASHINGTON, USA -- The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) has strengthened its historic partnership with member countries of the English-speaking Caribbean and Suriname. IDB general manager for the Caribbean Department, Gerard Johnson...
ACP group targets south-south solidarity in lead up to heads of state summit
February 11, 2012
BRUSSELS, Belgium -- The secretary general of the African Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP), Dr Mohamed Ibn Chambas, has presented a list of key priorities for the organisation, setting the tone in the lead up to the ACP Heads of State Summit.
Criminal violence takes rising toll in Caribbean
February 9, 2012
PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad -- An increasing crime rate is threatening economies and livelihoods in Caribbean countries, states a new United Nations report that calls for the right mix of policies and programmes to tackle the problem.
Caribbean-African Chamber of Commerce launched in Northern Ireland
February 7, 2012
BELFAST, Northern Ireland -- Dr Christopher Stange, Hon. Consul for St Vincent and the Grenadines to Northern Ireland and vice-chair of the African Caribbean Support Organisation Northern Ireland (ACSONI), officially launched the Caribbean and African...
Public invited to be part of a digital Diamond Jubilee gift
February 7, 2012
LONDON, England -- People around the world are being invited to share their memories and stories of the last 60 years to create a digital Diamond Jubilee gift for Queen Elizabeth II. With over 23,000 items already contributed to the Jubilee Time Capsule...
A Caribbean-Canadian woman of influence, with a licence to succeed
February 6, 2012
TORONTO, Canada -- It’s a cold February afternoon in the city of Toronto. The winter solstice is having an effect, but I could not miss this moment to witness what has been said by orators and poets of a Caribbean-Canadian woman of distinction.
Book Review: 'Howard Cosell'
February 6, 2012
SEATTLE, USA -- Howard Cosell. You either loved him or hated him. And some fans did both. Author Mark Ribowsky does a marvelous job of telling the reader how Howard Cohen, an ambitious Jewish lawyer in Brooklyn who was first interested in sports radio...
Revivaltime Tabernacle Worldwide Ministries: The Caribbean church in Toronto that love is building and where miracles are happening
January 30, 2012
TORONTO, Canada -- Oh Lord, send a revival, and let it begin with me. While cultural, traditional and social connotations accompany the word ‘revival,’ Rev. Dr Audley James and his wife Rosenda offer a refreshing revival through redemption by the precious blood of...
Overseas territories leaders conclude ministerial conference
January 25, 2012
BRUSSELS, Belgium (GIU) -- The leaders of the Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs) concluded their annual Overseas Countries and Territories Association (OCTA) ministerial conference in preparation for the 10th OCT-EU Forum.
UK-Caribbean Forum agrees action plan
January 24, 2012
ST GEORGE’S, Grenada -- Ministers from Britain and the Caribbean attending the Seventh Ministerial UK-Caribbean Forum held in Grenada over the weekend have agreed an action plan with agreements on economic resilience; security; climate change...
Lincoln Alexander: The ultimate Caribbean-Canadian success story
January 23, 2012
HAMILTON, Canada -- In the heart of Ontario, nestled deep in the Hamilton metropolis, another legend dwells. They call him Canada’s first black member of parliament and Ontario’s first black lieutenant governor. They call him Ontario’s Obama.
St Vincent PM to speak at Peaceful Caribbean conference
January 16, 2012
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados -- St Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves will be one of the featured speakers at the “Peaceful Caribbean Conference 2012: Focus on Solutions” to be held in Barbados on April 20, 2012.
Brits look to Caribbean for pension property
January 3, 2012
LONDON, England -- A surge in interest has been reported for Self-Invested Personal Pension (SIPP) approved property in the Caribbean from disgruntled Brits unhappy with their pensions. It's not hard to see why the Caribbean is becoming...
Caribbean economies on right path but not immune to turbulence, says IDB president
December 30, 2011
WASHINGTON, USA -- Latin America and the Caribbean are closing a year marked by economic gains, but the region remains exposed to external shocks, Inter-American Development Bank president Luis Alberto Moreno said in a year-end report.
Queen speaks of unity, hope and family in Christmas message
December 26, 2011
LONDON, England -- Queen Elizabeth II used her annual Christmas Day broadcast to Britain and the Commonwealth to speak of unity and hope in the face of adversity, and the importance of the family. The Christmas address is written by the Queen herself.
CMEx awards journalists and world leaders
December 10, 2011
ST THOMAS, USVI -- The Caribbean Media Exchange on Sustainable Tourism (CMEx) ended its 20th session in the US Virgin Islands with an awards gala overlooking the territory's capital, Charlotte Amalie, with its much anticipated Journalism...
Time to fight back against 'cancer' of corruption, says UN chief
December 9, 2011
UNITED NATIONS -- UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has urged everyone to do their part to stamp out corruption, which afflicts all countries, undermining social progress and breeding inequality and injustice.
IMF and African, Caribbean and Pacific group of states to intensify cooperation
December 8, 2011
BRUSSELS, Belgium -- The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) group of states agreed on Wednesday to strengthen their cooperation in the field of capacity building to bolster members’ economic...
City of Toronto proclaims December 5-10 as Caribbean Week
December 6, 2011
TORONTO, Canada -- Mayor Rob Ford has issued an official proclamation recognizing December 5-10, 2011, as Caribbean Week in the City of Toronto. Now in its fifth year, Caribbean Week is a celebration of the distinctive sights, sounds, food...
Bible stories recover their long lost tan as writer uses Caribbean idiom
December 5, 2011
ORLANDO, Florida -- Guyanese-born author Jean Ann Field-Ridley is launching a series of children’s stories with a tan and a tone that are distinctly Caribbean. Field-Ridley says that the series, Bible Stories for Caribbean Children, “faithfully recounts...
Diasporas have important role to play in development, says UN Assembly president
December 3, 2011
NEW YORK, USA -- The president of the United Nations General Assembly on Friday highlighted the important economic contributions of diasporas and stressed the need to help them achieve their full potential.
New study links lower level of personal income taxes to political representation bias
December 3, 2011
WASHINGTON, USA -- Democratic regimes in countries with high income inequality have been unable to increase personal income taxation in part because of bias in political representation, according to a global study conducted by the IDB.
Overseas territories meeting concludes in London
November 25, 2011
LONDON, England -- Henry Bellingham, Minister for the Overseas Territories, hosted the Overseas Territories Consultative Council (OTCC) on 23-24 November 2011 in London with premiers, chief ministers and other elected representatives...
Carnival and security: A 21st century challenge
November 25, 2011
PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad -- When most people think about Carnival, their thoughts often travel to a place inhabited by beautiful people, fantastic costumes, pulsating music and all manner of merrymaking. Rarely does the average person...
New strategy for British overseas territories
November 22, 2011
LONDON, England -- The UK government's new strategy for its Overseas Territories will be at the heart of discussions at the annual Overseas Territories Consultative Council (OTCC) in London on 23-24 November.
New report shows ACP countries being hit by harmful EU policies
November 22, 2011
BRUSSELS, Belgium -- In the Caribbean and elsewhere in the developing world, European Union (EU) policies are continuing to seriously undermine people’s rights, because these policies are not coherent with development objectives.
Filipino workers banned from eleven Caribbean countries
November 7, 2011
MANILA, Philippines -- The government of the Philippines has announced a ban on the deployment of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) to 41 countries, including 11 in the Caribbean. The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration...
New and deeper jobs recession looms, UN report warns
November 1, 2011
GENEVA, Switzerland -- A United Nations report issued on Monday warns that the cooling global economy risks pushing the world into a double-dip jobs recession and triggering an outbreak of social strife unless governments take urgent action.
Commonwealth leaders release Eminent Persons Group report
October 31, 2011
PERTH, Australia -- On Sunday, Commonwealth leaders released the report of the Eminent Persons Group that had given rise to some controversy earlier this month over the decision not to make the report public in advance of the CHOGM in Perth, Australia.
Caribbean countries participate in agreement on royal succession
October 31, 2011
PERTH, Australia -- Representatives of 16 Commonwealth countries, including nine Caribbean nations, having Queen Elizabeth II as head of state, unanimously approved changes in laws granting females equal rights of succession.
Queen supports Commonwealth Eminent Persons Group report
October 29, 2011
PERTH, Australia -- Head of the Commonwealth, Queen Elizabeth II, in opening the three-day Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Perth, Australia, on Friday, made an unusually pointed reference to the report by the Eminent Persons Group.
Destiny fulfilled: Education minister's rise to prime minster of Jamaica
October 19, 2011
KINGSTON, Jamaica (JIS) -- Education Minister Andrew Holness is on the cusp of becoming Jamaica’s ninth prime minister since independence, when Bruce Golding formally tenders his resignation to the governor-general on Sunday, October 23.
Largest donor-funded Caribbean private sector program launched
October 13, 2011
KINGSTON, Jamaica -- Jamaican Prime Minister Bruce Golding on Tuesday launched the largest donor-funded regional private sector development program in the Caribbean. Alan Duncan, Minister of State in the United Kingdom’s Department for International...
Rising Caribbean homicide rates 'near crisis point,' says UN
October 10, 2011
VIENNA, Austria -- Evidence points to rising homicide rates in Central America and the Caribbean that are “near crisis point,” the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) said in a report unveiled last week.
Caribbean group forms in Birmingham, Alabama
October 8, 2011
BIRMINGHAM, USA -- Birmingham, Alabama might not be the destination for many immigrants from the Caribbean but ask those who have made the southern state their home, in some cases for over 30 years and they will tell you that is unfortunate.
UN launches competition to design memorial to victims of slavery
October 1, 2011
NEW YORK, USA -- The committee tasked with building a permanent memorial at the United Nations to honour the victims of slavery and the transatlantic slave trade on Friday launched a global competition for the design of the structure to remind the world...
Anguilla, Jamaica and Barbados students take home environmental awards
October 1, 2011
MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica -- Students from Anguilla, Jamaica and Barbados went to the head of the class this week, placing first, second and third in the 2011 Wider Caribbean LBS Protocol Collage Competition, organized by UNEP’s Caribbean Environment...
